Device for testing eyes.



Patented June 4, I901.

C. F. KANTLEHNER. DEVICE FOB TESTING EYES.

(Application filed Sept. 24, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED S rns'; P ENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN F. KANTIJEHNER, OF CHELSEA, MICHIGAN.

DE VlGE FOR TESTING EYES.

SPEGIFIOATIONiforrhihg part of Letters Patent No. 675,739, dated June 4, 1901. Application filed September 24, 1900. Serial No. 80,981. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

NER, a citizen of the United States, residing at 0-helsea,in the county of Washtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Testing Eyes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to optometers or de vices for testing eyes; and it is the object of the invention to obtain an instrument that is capable of being used for a variety of tests which is simple in construction and when not in use may be folded into compact form.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts and more particularlyto the construction and arrangement of a single rotary lens-holder which is adapted to be used for testing either eye; further, in the peculiar construction of a detachable trial-frame, and, further, in the peculiar construction of the folding standard,

all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of the instrument as arranged for use,

showing in dotted lines the folded position. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of Fig.

1, showing in full lines the rotary lens-holder i as arranged for testingthe left eye and in; dotted lines in the position for testing-the right eye. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the upper portion of the instrument. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the trialframe detached, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the lens-holding clamps constituting a part of said trial-frame.

A is a standard,which I have shown as comprising a tripod a, a central standard I), and; At the a telescoping upward extension 0. upper end of this standard is a head, such as B, which supports the detachable trial-frame,

the rotary lens-holder, and a rearwardly-extending arm carrying the test card. As shown, the headB is of T shape, having sockets d and d at its forward and rear ends.

0 is a head having a shank 0' adapted to engage with the forward socket D in the head B. At the forward end of the head 0 is formed a vertical socket 0, adapted to receive the shank e of the trial-frame D. This trial-frame comprises in addition to the shank Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN F. KANTLEH- e the cross-head f, upon which are laterally 'adjustably secured the arms g,'carrying at their upper ends the lens-holding clamps h, whichlatter are adapted to receive, respectively, the'lens used for testing the right and left eyes of the patient. These holders are preferably formed, as shown in Fig. 5, of sheet metal bent into semicircular form and provided with a series of parallel circumferential corrugations, so as to form a series of parallel grooves h. The metal between the adjacent grooves is slit at the upper end of each side, as shown at 71 thereby forming in cross-section a series of U-shaped bars, severally adapted to receive and clamp the lenses placed therein. The front of each holderjis provided with a flange 71 having graduations or markings of degree thereon.

The adjusting means for varying the distance g may be moved either toward or from each other to secure the proper adjustment to the eyes of the patient. The upper'end of the shank eis preferably provided witha square or polygonal head e, adapted to engage with the correspondingly shaped 'portion' of the socket C, so as to hold the frame D ina plane perpendicular to the line of sight. I

In rear of the socket C is pivotally secured to the head 0 a swinging arm E, which cariries at its outer end a rotary diskj-F. This disk is provided with a circumferential series of apertures adapted in the rotation of the disk to be successively registeredwith the lens inthe holder h of the trial-frame D. In

each aperture is placed a spherical lens is, and these lenses are preferably graded in strength, one half of the series being suitableifor correcting farsightedness and the other half for correcting nearsightedness.

To hold the disk F in proper relation with either of the lens-holders h, a suitable lock is provided for the arm E, which is shown as in a small case.

comprising the spring-segments G, having at their outer ends the sockets l, with which a pin Z on the arm E is adapted to engage. The arm E is also preferably provided with an extension E, the end of which is adapted to engage with indentations in the holder F to hold the same in different positions of adj ustment.

His a chin-rest which is preferably secured to an arm G, which is sleeved upon an extension (1 of the socket O and is preferably vertically adjustably secured thereon by a set-screw, as G To the rear socket of the head B is secured a shank m, to which is hinged an arm I, adapted to extend rearward and carrying the test-card holder J. The shank m is held in the socket by a set-screw m, so that when the instrument is not in use the arm I may be folded to turn in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The holder J is slidingly secured to the arm I and has guides for receiving the card K.

The parts being constructed as shown and described, when the instrument is not in use the arm E may be turned downward into the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and the arm I also turned into the dotted position indicated in that figure. In this position of parts the instrument may be readily packed In use the arm E is turned to bring the rotary lens-holder F in operative relation with either one of the holders h of the trial-frame, according to which eye is to be first tested. The operator may then turn the disk and successively test the eye for distant vision with the different spherical lenses of the holder until one is found which gives the best result. Should it happen that all of the lenses in the holder are too weak for either distant or reading tests, the operator may insert a stronger lens in one of the grooves of the holder h and repeat the test with the combined strength of this stationary lens and the diiferentlenses of the movable holder. \Vhen the proper strength of lenses is ascertained, a single lens of corresponding strength is selected by the operator and inserted in the holder h, after which the arm E may be turned down and the eye tested for astigmatism, if there be any. After that the arm I may be turned up and the holder J adjusted thereon to bring the test-card K in the proper relation to the eye of the patient, so as to test for near vision. The arm E may then be turned to bring the holder Fin the proper relation for testing the other eye of the patientand the operations as above described repeated.

If the patient desires to try the lenses away from the machine, the trial-frame may be detached and may be held by the shank e in proper relation to the eye. The right-andleft screwt' forms a means of quickly adjusting the two lens-holders h in relation to each other to fit the eyes of the patient. The holders h are also of a construction which permits of independently clamping each of the lenses inserted therein. This is because of the slots 7L2 between the parallel grooves h, which permit of the independent clamping action of the U-shaped sections between the slots.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is-- 1. In a device for testing eyes, the combination of a standard having asocket therein, a lens-holding trial-frame detachably supported in said socket, an arm pivoted to said standard to swing in a plane parallelto said trial-frame, a rotatory holder carried by said arm and having a circumferential series of graded lenses, and means for holding said arm on either side of said trial-frame whereby any one of the lenses in said holder may be registered with the sight-orifice of said frame for testing either eye.

2. In a device for testing eyes, the combination with a standard having a socket therein, a rotary lens-holder supported by said standard and having a circumferential series of graded lenses and a test-card also supported adjustably on said standard, of a lensholding trial-frame having sight-orifices for two eyes detachably supported in said socket in operative relation to said lens-holder and test-card.

3. A device for testing eyes, comprising a standard a rearwardly-extending arm hinged thereto supporting the test-card, a detachable trial-frame supported at the forward end of said standard, an arm pivoted to swing in a plane parallel to said trial-frame, and a rotatory lens-holder carried by saidv arm, said swinging arm and folding arm being adapted to be turned into parallelism with said stand ard, substantially as described.

4. In a device for testing eyes, the combination of a standard, a laterally-extending arm thereon having a vertically-depending socket at its outer end, a detachable trialframe having a downwardly-extending shank engaging said socket, and a chin-rest vertically adjnstably secured upon said depending socket.

5. In a device for testing eyes, a trial-frame having a lens-holder comprising a circumferentially-corrugated segment of sheet metal, slotted between adjacent corrugations to form a plurality of parallel independent lensclamps.

6. In a device for testing eyes, the combination with a standard and a trial-frame supported thereby having sight-orifices for both eyes and arranged to leave an unobstructed space therebetween for the nose, of a rotatory lens-holder supported by said standard having a circumferential series of graded lenses, and means for shifting said holder from a po-' sition to register its lenses in rotation with the sight-orifice for one eye into a corresponding position in relation to the sight-orifice for the other eye said holder being adapted to travel in shifting clear of said nose-space whereby the instrument may be adjusted without change of position of the patient.

7. In a device for testing eyes, the combi- I tively with the sight-orifices for either eye,

nation with a standard and a trial-frame sup ported thereby having sight-orifices for both eyes and having a central open space for the nose, of a rotatory lens-holder having a circumferential series of graded lenses, an offset swinging arm to the free end of which said holder is pivoted and means for locking said arm in positions upon opposite sides of said standard, where said rotatory holder is adapted to register its lenses in rotation respecand where the circumference of said holder clears said central open space the offset in said arm permitting it to clear said nose-space 15 in swinging.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTIAN F. KANTLEHNER. Witnesses:

L. J WHITTEMORE, H. 0. SMITH. 

